Shirlee Bryant
Category:ArticlesCategory:CharactersCategory:Comic book characters | aliases = The Cat | continuity = Marvel Universe | image = | notability = | type = | race = | gender = | base of operations = Chicago, Illinois | known relatives = | status = | born = | died = | 1st appearance = ''The Cat'' #1 | final appearance = | actor = }} Shirlee Bryant is a fictional model and lab subject and a minor antagonist featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She made a single appearance in ''The Cat'' #1 in November, 1972. Overview Biography Born in Steven's Point, Wisconsin, Shirley Quimby was a vivacious brunette who concentrated on gymnastics and cheerleading rather than academics. After high school, she accepted an invitation from a photographer to move to Chicago and became a pinup model. After appearing in several pictorials, she was signed by Malcolm Donalbain as a fitness model. Donalbain had her hair dyed blond and changed her name to Shirlee Bryant to distance her from her pinups. He told her he was opening a chain of health clubs and she would make appearances with him as an advertisement of the clubs' benefits. Donalbain's clubs would feature equipment based on the theories of Dr. Joanne Tumolo, a professor at the University of Chicago. The doctor's experimental equipment was supposed to allow any woman to totally fulfill their physical and mental potential. He presented Shirlee to the doctor as their first guinea pig. Dr. Tumolo only agreed after Donalbain threatened her with cancelling the project, which he reminded her he had funded. After several weeks, Shirlee found the doctor's promises coming true: she was stronger, faster, and more agile than she'd ever hoped. In addition, her senses were sharper and she found she could memorize entire books with one reading. On the other hand, Dr. Tumolo and her assistant, Greer Grant, were expressing disappointment with her results and, to Shirlee's mind, belittling her. Donalbain agreed with Shirlee that the doctor and her assistant were uncooperative and encouraged her to use her new powers to copy the Tumolo designs so they could make their own. Shirlee found she enjoyed defrauding her tormentors and began envisioning herself as an industrial spy, thief, and saboteur. When she confided her thoughts to Donalbain, he praised her cleverness. Furthermore, he promised to aid Shirlee in exploiting her abilities. When their copy of Dr. Tumolo's machines was complete, Donalbain congratulated Shirlee and presented her with a cat-themed outfit designed to augment her powers. He told her she was the first of many members of his clubs who would gain powers like hers. Dressed in the cat outfits, they would form an army that would secretly take control of the entire country. Shirlee was doubtful about the cat theme, likening it to a Halloween costume, but put it on at Donalbain's insistence. The final part of the outfit was a studded collar, which rendered her totally obedient to Donalbain. He was overjoyed at her reaction, proclaiming her "the perfect woman!" He first ordered her to attack and disable three of his men, which she did with ease. Then he tasked her with climbing six stories up a wall. She slipped and fell to her death. Donalbain callously dismissed her as incompetent and immediately began planning for his next prototype, without considering that the suit's claws might have failed or the will nullifier might have interfered with her performance. Notes & Trivia Donalbain was unaware that Dr. Tumolo had secretly given Greer her treatments as well, and it was by comparing the two women's results that she decided Shirlee's were lacking. In fact, the doctor had gone to Donalbain's headquarters that night to call off the experiment and thus witnessed Shirlee's death. She fled, taking one of the other cat outfits with her as evidence of Donalbain's scheme. After Donalbain sent his men to destroy Dr. Tumolo's lab and kill her mentor, Greer donned the cat outfit the doctor had taken and returned to Donalbain's headquarters to avenge the two dead women. Years later, a copy of the cat outfits surfaced at the Brand Corporation on Long Island, NY. It was adopted by Patsy Walker (who dubbed herself Hellcat, to differentiate herself from The Cat). See also External Links References